Sekowo
Sekowo (生古塢 Kunikata: セーコヲ Seikowo, Sekowan language: シークーヲ Shiikuuwo), officially Sekowo Renpō Kyōwakoku (Federal Republic of Sekowo), is a nation located on the continent of Dovani. It is bordered by Hulstria and Gao-Soto to the north, Lourenne to the south-west and Argos to the east. History Sekowan history is split into several periods: Ancient, Classic, Colonial, Union, Aretic, Commonwealth, First Empire, Second Commonwealth, Second Empire,The Third Empire, and The Nationalist Era. Sekowo has no one original peoples, but rather has been comprised of many different cultures and civilizations. However, while Sekowo has been the home to many different cultures, Sekowan history has only been primarily influenced by three of them. The Orinco culture of the ancient coastal city-states is the oldest indigenous Sekowan civilization, and its influence can be seen in Bizena, Lorrod, and to a lesser extent North-West Undarro. The Kunihito people, part of the Gao-Showa metaethnicity, and their ancestors have lived in the region for over a thousand years, however as Sekowo marked the southernmost part of the Empire of Gao-Soto, Gao-Showan influence has historically been limited to Hasowar and South-East Undarro. The colonial period and mixed marriages have led to the development of the third major culture, the Sécowonnais. Another culture that was historically important, but whose relevance is now minimal, was the Nordic Sørna, a group related to Kazulians, who primarily influenced North-East regions of Sekowo, and the result of their presence can be seen the most in Hikhala. Although Sekowo was originally unified by the native Orinco Tsekwon Empire, it became part of the Empire of Gao-Soto in the 14th century. After having become a colony of Egelion and later Rildanor in the early modern age, Sekowo gained her independence in 2193, beginning the Union period. Between 2402 and 2436, Sekowo was ruled by a totalitarian ideology, Aretism. The Aretist regime collapsed in 2436, after the First Sekowan Civil War, beginning the Commonwealth era after four years of transition. The Commonwealth era is considered to have started in the year 2440, though Sekowo did not use Commonwealth in its name until several decades after this. The era is one of the longest and encompasses great political change, civil and external war and the growth of Sekowo's territory to its modern size. The Commonwealth era officially ended in 2723 as a result of the massive change in the government from a semi-presidential Federation into a Federal monarchy, the First Sekowan Empire. In November 2891 after months of internal political conflict and tension, a semi-presidential parliamentary democracy was created unanimously by the Senate. The government of the time set its goal to regain the respect Sekowo once had before its former government collapsed. However, this did not last, as in February 2925 the Second Empire (the Eternal Harmony and Empire Magnificent) was established, which lasted until 2980. This period was also marked by the intensification of ethnic conflict, and was almost entirely covered by civil war. In January 2935 an Orinco Junta seized power in a coup d'etat, and, due to the resurgence of the Eternal Harmony, power was divided in June 2939 between the Junta-ruled Imperial Dominions in the North and the Ishida loyalist Eternal Harmony in the South. The Eternal Harmony officially annexed the Imperial Dominions in February 2958, however there was continued guerrilla warfare by communist insurgents in the North. Between 2964 and 2980, the country participated in what is known as the Great Sekowian War. Conditions continued to deteriorate for the Empire Magnificent and in September 2980, Yukio Kumiko abdicated the throne and disestablished the empire. Around the same time, Kenji Ishida was installed officially as emperor of Sekowo under the Imperial Federation of Sekowo, which then controlled all of Sekowo. However, in October 3015 several high ranking military officers stormed the Celestial Palace in a bloodless coup and the Ishida family along with the cabinet were overthrown. Following mass civil disobedience and social unrest the junta was later replaced with the Empress and Celestial Family retaking their positions as Monarch and Imperial family and Democracy restored. In 3368, another coup removed the Ishidas from power, and installed a Gao-Showan ultranationalist regime, which lasted until August 3386, when the Ishidas were returned to the throne. Following the Indralan-Sekowan War (3729-3734), the Ishida Dynasty was overthrown and replaced with a Kamist theocratic regime headed by the Grand Miko, a priestess of humble origins. The Theocratic regime reigned for some time until it was replaced with the more popular communist party.it stood true to it's predecessors and expanded the civil rights of the people but restricted political rights. Only a couple years later and a massive political revolution nearly split the nation in two. influenced by pan Gao-Showon Nationalism Miyamoto Takimoto created his party( The Sekowo no kokumintō) with the backing of his paramilitary group Haiiro no shatsuāmī (Grey Shirt Army). The party immediately started gaining votes and by July 3927 took control of the government. Thus began the dramatic restructuring of the once liberal nation of Sekowo into a Ultra Nationalistic Dictatorship led by Miyamoto Takimoto. All members belonging to Sekowon nobility were either killed,imprisoned,or fled from the country . Various headquarters of opposing political parties were destroyed and members went into hiding or just fled the country. In 3941, Kodos Fairname founded an opposition party, the Yoko Kake Meguppātī. Though Fairname himself is half Kunihito by ethnicity and was born in Sekowo in 3913, his parents, after being threatened and harassed by the terror of the Haiiro no shatsuāmī (Grey Shirt Army), fled with him to the Republic of Kirlawa in 3924, which was welcoming to refugees and immigrants. But Fairname, along with other expatriate Sekowans who settled in the Republic of Kirlawa and elsewhere, always dreamt of one day returning to Sekowo and freeing it from Fascist rule. Famously, Fairname is said to have sailed across the ocean back to Sekowo from the Republic of Kirlawa in August 3937 in a makeshift catamaran, accompanied only by his friend and closest supporter (Watashitachi No Maru No Orukusu O Aho), and with only three boxes of supplies and food. The event has since been semi-mythologized amongst Kodos' supporters as "The Returning". Although 65% of Yoko Kake Meguppātī party members are native Sekowons, its founding association with Kirlawan exiles (and exiled Sekowans elsewhere) led to nativist demonization of Yoko Kake Meguppātī supporters on the part of the Haiiro no shatsuāmī. The Yoko Kake Meguppātī receives especially strong support from non-ethnic Kunihitos, who make up 25% of the population and who were persecuted under the Nativist Fascist rule of Miyamoto Takimoto. Overview Government & Politics Government Sekowo is a Transitional Democracy led by Head of State (Kyōwakoku daitōryō) Kodos Fairname, emerging from Miyamoto Takimoto's Nationalist Dictatorship. Under the ultra-nationalist regime, the Saikōshidō-sha had been considered the supreme ruler of the nation under Takimoto's regime - now it is merely the title of the democratically elected Head of State. The powers of the monarchy throughout Sekowan history has differed greatly based on the era, however the monarchy for the last several centuries has been mostly inactive on the political stage. The nationalist Sekowo no kokumintō party actively kicked the monarch and the nobility out of any positions of power they had and stripped the nobility of their titles in the 3920s. Some members of the modern royal families were forced out of the country entirely. Along with other Sekowan exiles, many settled in Kirlawa, along with other democratic countries with policies welcoming to refugees. Since its founding the modern Monarch was almost always an Empress, with only a single interruption in which the nation was a Dual-Monarchy as per a special agreement made prior to the restoration of the House of Ishida, however even at this time the Empress was still in power alongside an Emperor. The Kyōwakoku daitōryō is the head of government and acts as both the Head of state and government. The parliament is the Kokumin Gikai, which consists of 700 representatives picked by the state . These representatives hold the power to form the laws of Sekowo. They also hold the ability to select the national cabinet but not the Kyōwakoku daitōryō, the head of government. Politics Sekowo is considered a transitional democracy, emerging from years of far-right rule which had been preceded by a totalitarian Communist regime and Kamist theocracy. With the rise of the NPS the nation had become increasingly militaristic and hostile towards it's neighboring nations. The NPS had sought to restrict everything that did not stay in line with their political ideology. However, the rise of the Yoko Kake Meguppātī opposition party and Miyamoto Takimoto's decision to allow Sekowo to transition peacefully to Democracy led to the Takimoto Reform of 3942, which began the process of liberalizing Sekowo. Following Kodos Fairname's landslide 3947 electoral victory, the Yoko Kake Meguppātī opposition party introduced a series of "De-Fascization" bills to further this transitional process. These involved reductions in police and military powers, the expansion of civil liberties, and the introduction of Kodonomics. The government also created a Truth and Reconciliation Commission with a mandate to investigate and report on abuses that had occured under previous totalitarian governments. For most of its modern history, Sekowo has been ruled as a single-party state, generally restricting the political (though not civil) freedoms of its citizens. Various measures have been made throughout Sekowan history to curb radical nationalism in the government. Some political ideologies have been banned outright, those being Aretism and Nuncirism. Other techniques used in the past against radicalism have included banning political parties affiliated internationally with organizations (ex. the New World Order and Nova Terra) and establishing a Cordon sanitaire against them. Current Political Parties Military The National Defence Forces of Sekowo (NDFS), also known simply as the Democratic Army, was the armed forces of Sekowo. The National Defence Forces of Sekowo were comprised of the Sekowan Democratic Army, Democratic Sekowo Navy, Democratic Sekowo Air Force, and irregular paramilitaries. Following the Indralan-Sekowan War Sekowo was forced to disband its armed forces, and in 3735 a constitutional amendment was passed by which Sekowo renounced war as a sovereign right of the nation. With the rise of Miyamoto Takimoto and the NPS much of these sections within the amendment which restricted the military growth of Sekowo was ignored or just entirely removed from it. The party continued to expand the military industry of the nation, much to the dismay of its neighbor nations. With the dissolution of the Gurē no shatsu-gun many members joined the ranks of the new Sekowon busō seiryoku or The Sekowon Armed Forces. With the new policies regarding compulsory military for all adults the recruitment rate skyrocketed. However, following the electoral victory of Kodos Fairname, these policies were reversed. The military budget was slashed to 1% of GDP, compulsory military service was abolished, and military control was even handed over to local governments in an effort to reduce the influence of ultra-nationalist generals and more thoroughly "de-Fascize" the military. Geography & Climate Sekowo is comprised mostly of three different geographic zones. * The Northern part of the country is comprised of high mountains, because of this, the area has a temperate climate in the summer and cold and snowy winters. * The middle of the country is comprised of small mountains and mostly hilly terrain. The climate in the area is a mixture of Temperate and Sub-tropic with Summer and Winter temperatures varying year by year, though in all it is a mild and comfortable climate. * The Lower South-East of the country is comprised of the Western most part of the Great Dovani plains. The climate in the area tends to be very warm, with summer temperatures reaching as high as 45°C. Administrative Divisions The main division of Sacred Sekowo is called the Han (藩) or Domain. The Domains are led by members of the aristocracy and named by the head of state; the head of a Han is named 藩王 (Han-ō/''Han-woo''). The Domains are further subdivided into municipalities, which comprise cities, towns, and groups of villages. Municipalities Municipalities make up the third and smallest administrative division of Sekowo. Municipalities are primarily made up of large cities, towns, villages, and hamlets that are close by each other. The number of municipalities in Sekowo is not concrete due to the regular creation, merging and division of them happening every few years. Protectorates Sekowo had protectorates which were sold in March 2874 to the Holy Luthori Empire and in March 2875 to the Federation of Zardugal; the Sekowan protectorates were Argos, Cho'kun, Kurageri, Lyore, Medina, Midway, Rapa Pile, Shiratoku, Teoitan, Tropica. This decision was overturned by later nationalistic governments, but the protectorates remained under foreign occupation. Gradually, most of the former protectorates were reoccupied by the Imperial Sekowo Armed Forces. The Indralan-Sekowan War ended the Sekowan colonial empire for the second time, as all Sekowan colonies and protectorates were transferred to Indrala as per the provisions of the Treaty of Gemun. Economy Sekowo had a mixed economy, as well as a very developed social protection system. After the economically counter-productive Aretist period, Sekowo began a very long and painful process of regulated market liberalization and modernization quite successfully. Following its first decade of post-Aretist government, when the economic situation was disastrous, Sekowo made an impressive recovery, building a modern and diversified economy. Now the country is classified as a middle-income country, with large possibilities for continued development. The actions of the cabinets during the following decades began to implement a far-reaching program of macroeconomic stabilization and structural reform aimed at maintaining price-stability, creating conditions for sustained growth, and alleviating scarcity are seen as the cause of Sekowo's recent economic growth, as well as the rise of a new dynamic middle-class capable of economic expansion. The population in extreme poverty had decreased from 54.7% to 1.7% in the general population and from 74.1% to 6.7% in rural areas since the founding of modern Sekowo, and the GDP annual average growth over the long term has averaged 2-7%. Sekowo was a founding member of the Dovani Common Market Area, though it trades with several other countries as well. In recent years, due to the policies of the current government, the country's economy has been undergoing dramatic changes. The regulation of vast sectors of industry as well as easing of capital controls have contributed to the economy's current growth spurt, at an average of 5% a year. Worries persist, however, over indications of increasing inequality as well as a possible erosion of the welfare state. Demographics With a population of 99 million, Sekowo is the 6th most populous country in Dovani and 31st in the world. Sekowo's annual population growth has seen substantial increases as well as slower growth periods, however it is currently increasing at a rate of around 2.35% every five years. The average life expectancy is 95 (92 male, 98 female). Immigration Sekowo has been historically home to a number of immigrants from the surrounding countries, mostly from Hulstria (10%), Lourenne (10%) and Kazulia (5%). Many of the other significant immigrant groups are from the various territories of Eastern Dovani, including Gao-Showa and Kli'kut. A growing number of immigrants having came from Talmoria, Vascania and the Kerisian nations. However with the current border policies implemented by the NPS immigration has come to a complete standstill, with illegals and foreigners being kicked out of the country entirely. Ethnicity Like most nations in Dovani, Sekowan ethnicity is characterized by being a conglomeration of different peoples both from within the country itself as well as immigrants. The largest ethnicities in Sekowo are the Gao-Showa, who make about 65% of the population, the Orincos, a native Dovani population, who form about 15% of the population, and the Sécowonnais, a Metis people, making about 10%. * 61% Sekowans * 16% Orincos * 7% Sécowonnais * 5% Other Shinjalans * 3% Other Gao-Showans * 2% Klikut * 2% Kazulians * 1% Solentians * 1% Other Language Sekowo is one of the most diverse countries in terms of languages. The four most common first languages in Sekowo are Sekowan, Kunikata, Orinco, and Canrillaise. Religion The most widely practiced religion in Sekowo is the Sekowan version of Kamism. Sekowan Kamism differs from the mainstream version of the religion in numerous aspects, primarily the belief in the spiritual superiority of women. Other Gao-Showan religions (Jienism, Cheng Daenism, Guidao) are all practiced in Sekowo, and owing to their non-exclusive nature, they are usually practiced in syncretism. In spite of this, most Sekowans, while to a large extent identifying with one or more of the Gao-Showan religions, do not hold any form of religious beliefs; religious affiliation is more a matter of culture and occasionally participation in religious rituals. Thus it would be safe to state that most Sekowans can be classified as Atheists/Agnostics. Orincos mostly adhere to Orinco Polytheism. Orinco Polytheism has a large pantheon of gods and heroes, and a central aspect of the religion is sacrifice, including blood sacrifice. Hosianism is also practiced in the nation. The largest Hosian denomination in Sekowo is the Theognosian Church. Most Hosians in Sekowo belong to the Sécowonnais ethnicity. Infrastructure & Transportation The infrastructure and transportation systems of Sekowo are extensive and highly developed. Infrastructure Sekowo's infrastructure system is extensive do to over a century of government ownership and investment into various areas. The communications infrastructure system is considered one of the most extensive and developed in Dovani with telecommunications lines connecting every home, office and building. The average Internet connection speed in Sekowo is 25 mb/s. Transport .]] The transportation network of Sekowo consists of two primary transport systems, the railways and road system. While roadways were at one time the most prevalent transport system in Sekowo following decades of environmental regulation laws in place the rail system replaced it as the primary means of transport. The rail system of Sekowo is unique in that roughly seventy percent of existing rail lines have been converted into MagLev routes connecting much of Sekowo proper and linking the major cities and population centers of the overall Commonwealth. Culture Sekowan culture is incredibly diverse do to Sekowo's population being comprised of many different groups from differing cultures. However Sekowan culture is most influenced by the Orinco cultures of the coastal city-states, the Kli'kut and related cultures of the South and the Gao-Showan cultures that permiate the Eastern half of the country. Holidays While many holidays are celebrated in different regions there are several national holidays celebrated throughout the nation. Three multi-day celebrations are also celebrated throughout the country, the Summer Celebration that lasts from June 27th to July 10th, the Winter Holiday that lasts from December 19th to December 31st and the New Years menagerie which lasts from January 1st to the 5th. Category:Nations Category:Sekowo Category:Dovani